


Pneumonia

by RainbowArches



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 17:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3075293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowArches/pseuds/RainbowArches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick is sick, because he should be fussed over more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pneumonia

“I’m pretty sure you’re fighting on principal at this point.”

Natasha shoved Nick none to gently back into the pillows and tucked the blankets tighter around his shoulders. He smiled apologetically, regarding her with half-lidded eyes, the good one almost as glossy as the bad one. She restocked the fire and put the kettle on for tea. She would love to believe that Nick was well enough to get back to work; she wasn’t much for the hands-on care that patients needed from their doctors. But the more he insisted he was fine, the more obviously sick he looked. She wished she had gone with him the first time he asked, or made him rest a while longer before going on the hunt; he might have staved off the pneumonia that way. Not that she wouldn’t have hit the road right away if she were him. Besides, they should both know better.

She sat next to him on the bed, nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs until Steve and Sam came back with groceries and antibiotics. She would have preferred to be the one to go, having predicted this period of inactivity. Nick was slightly delirious and didn’t always recognize Steve and Sam right away, and had tried to hit them once or twice. Natasha got more favorable responses so she was the one to stay.

“Thought I’d give it one more shot,” Nick rasped.

Natasha raised her eyebrows. “So you’re done now? You concede defeat?”

His brow furrowed. “No. I just decided to sleep for a few days before going back to work.”

“You decided. Sure. That’s why I’ve been chasing you around the cabin all day.”

“I was just testing myself, see how sick I was. Turns out I need to stay in bed for a while.”

“Figured that out all on your own, did you?”

“Mm-hm.” His eyes drifted shut.

Nick knew he was too sick to be useful and would need to rest if he didn’t want to screw up. He wasn’t one to let pride get in the way of efficiency. Natasha thought Nick secretly liked her chasing him around and putting him to bed and fussing, and that’s why he put up a fight in the first place. When he was the director he played the super human persona so convincingly that even she almost bought into it. He didn’t get fussed over the way his friends did.

The last time she was sick Clint fed her home-made chicken soup and French bread and peppermint tea for a week. She was only bedridden for two days but he continued to spoil her anyway. She’d put up token fights too, getting out of bed to help cook or call into work to see if they needed her, only to have Clint carry her back to bed and tuck her in. She could have disabled him easily and run off, but that wasn’t the point. She just wanted him to keep carrying her to bed because it made her feel better.

She would do her best to imitate Clint’s recipe when Steve and Sam got back with the groceries. In the meantime, she poured Nick a cup of tea and brought it to him. His eyes were still closed, and he was taking shallow breaths through his mouth.

“You awake?”

He blinked and pushed himself up, triggering a coughing fit. Natasha waited patiently for it to pass before handing him the mug.

“Thanks,” he said, taking the mug and resting his chin on the rim, letting the steam heat his face and chase off the chills.

Natasha put her hand to his forehead, feeling for a temperature, but she didn’t know how warm was too warm. “Do you know if there’s a thermometer anywhere?”

Nick shrugged. “Should be a first aid kit lying around. Don’t know how much you’ll find in there.”

“Mm. I’ll just wait for the boys to get back. S’ not like I could tell how high your fever is anyway.”

“Wasn’t covered in your basic medical training? Or were you sick that day?”

She side-eyed him and he grinned at his own joke. “I’m here if you need stitches or CPR. Do you need either of those?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Then don’t get any sicker until the boys get back.”

She took the cup away from him as he started coughing again, and then he was too tired to sit up anymore. He took one more big gulp of tea before huddling into the covers, pressing against Natasha and falling asleep. She settled in to wait for the other two, warming her hands on the half-empty mug and moving closer to Nick, letting him share her body heat.


End file.
